ABSTRACT

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are fatty acids of 18 carbons or more in length with two or more methylene-interrupted double bonds in the cis position. Depending on the position of the first double bond proximate to the methyl end of fatty acids, PUFAs can be designated by the omega (ω-) or (n-) number, and classified into two major groups: ω6 (or n-6) and ω3 (or n-3) families. For example, linoleic acid (LA) in the n-6 family is designated as C18:2n-6 to indicate that this fatty acid contains 18 carbons and two double bonds, with the first double bond at the sixth carbon from the methyl end. Similarly, α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) in the n-3 family has 18 carbons and three double bonds, with the first double bond located at the third carbon from the methyl end (Figure 1.1).